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There are several floating floor materials available, but if you want real wood, the best choice is engineered flooring. This sandwich of wood veneer glued to layers of pine or plywood looks like solid wood and is very stable. Although engineered flooring’s thin veneer can’t be sanded as many times as solid wood can, its thick factory-applied coating is more durable than one applied in your home on solid wood, and it will be ready for furniture in just one day....

Two years ago, Robertson signed up for a pilot program to install a Tesla home battery system called the Powerwall that’s based on the same lithium-ion technology the company uses in its electric cars. In blackouts, the battery provides backup power. The current cost, including installation work, is $15 a month for 10 years. The battery is the size of a small bookcase and can recharge either from a house’s own solar panels or from the grid....

How electrical circuit breakers and GFCIs work

Why Changing Your Filter Is Important Air filters trap pet hair, dust, and other irritating particles so that your air conditioning system delivers fresh, clean air back into your home. Eventually, the filter traps so much dust and debris that air can’t properly filter or travel to the HVAC unit, leading to: High energy bills—When an HVAC filter is clogged, your system has to work harder to pull air through to cool or heat the room....

What You’ll Need to Bleed a Radiator The tools you’ll need are simple. Many bleed valves require just a straight screwdriver to operate. Make sure yours is properly sized though. Using too small a screwdriver can wear the slot to the point that you won’t be able to turn the screw, and then you’ll need to call the plumber. Older radiators may require a radiator key. These come in several sizes, and selections are available at old-fashioned hardware stores, home improvement stores, and plumbing supply houses....

Our design incorporates classic touches such as profiled rafter tails, alternating wide and narrow boards for the seat and backrest, and trellis sides to let your favorite climbers ascend to the overhead structure. Or you can let the bench remain free of greenery—it’s eye-catching enough on its own. Follow along as This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers puts it all together. Western red cedar: Find a dealer near you at RealCedar....

Luckily, metal boxes attached to armored, or BX, cable—a type of wiring commonly found in old houses—generally are grounded; the cable’s flexible metal jacket serves the same purpose as a dedicated ground wire. Outlet Versus Receptacle: What’s the Difference? Outlet—Anything that has a power current taken out and utilized. For example, appliance outlets, smoke detector outlets, and lighting outlets. Receptacle—Is an outlet. A contact device is installed at the outlet for the attachment of an attachment plug....

Because of their intense cut, anvil pruners are stronger and great for cutting dead wood or bulk material. However, that strong cut can also damage the tissue of live plants, so it shouldn’t be used for delicate pruning. What is a Bypass Pruner? Bypass pruners, on the other hand, can cut in a way that doesn’t damage the tissue of the plant and are perfect for precision cuts. When pruning, Jenn recommends looking for V’s in the plant and making the cuts there until the plant is shaped and healthy-looking....

Color Wash Tint Wood Steps 1. Paint on a Thinned Base Coat Apply chalk paint thinned 3 parts paint to 1 part water, pushing the solution into the wood grain. Tip: On brand-new wood, thin the paint less, say, 4 or 5 parts to 1. 2. Wipe Off Paint Follow right after with a rag, wiping paint off flat areas; color will remain in crevices and corners. Let dry. 3. Apply Dark Wax With a round wax brush, apply dark wax in a circular motion, about 1 square foot at a time....

What to Know Before You Start Cutting Granite Countertops Caveat #1: Use a Professional This is a significant caveat. While the actual cutting of granite may be DIY-able, layout and templating kitchen countertops is generally not the domain of the DIYer. In fact, for pros, it is generally reserved for a specialist. Even the most carefully framed kitchen wall against which the counter will go has undulations and nuance, and invariably an inside corner that isn’t 90 degrees, especially in an old house....

But like any machine that gets used a lot—about 30 times a season—it wears out and needs to be replaced. If it’s been a while since your last mower purchase, you might be surprised at what’s available. Those noisy, exhaust-spewing 2-cycle gas engines have been replaced by quieter, cleaner, 4-stroke machines. Mower decks have been reshaped so that mulching blades can slice and dice clippings with maximum effectiveness. Plus, you can now get no-pull-cord electric starting, one-touch height adjustment (no fiddling with each wheel), and safety controls that stop the blade but not the engine....

Ross sees a ton of similar complaints from other homeowners. Finding the issue can be tricky since you can’t see a WiFi network’s physical problem. Ross demonstrates a step-by-step approach to diagnose a WiFi problem and determine how to fix it. After checking the wiring and the modem location, Ross shows how to check the Internet speed. He finds that the WiFi signal gets weak in the basement and top floor, but he has a solution....

Heath used a plumb laser to locate the ceiling fixture, which was manufactured by PLS Laser. All of the other tools and materials for this project, including an old work fan bracket, non-metallic cabling, lineman’s pliers, and needle nose pliers are available at home centers and electrical supply shops. Expert assistance with this project was provided by Eaton and Eastman Electric. Shop Chandeliers at The Home Depot Shopping List: Light fixturePainter’s tape14 gauge non-metallic cableElectrical tapeOld work fan bracket Available at The Home Depot...

Older homes have a charm that can’t be beaten. Many folks look for design touches like stained glass, wainscot, and pocket doors. When the owner of this home, built in 1881, noticed that her neighbor was removing a pocket door that would work in her home, she couldn’t wait to salvage it and hang it in a pocket in her home. With carpenter Nathan Gilbert and his father’s help, the trio handles the project beautifully....

How to Install an Awning Resources Nathan installed an Icon awning base kit with a matte black frame and a clear finish, which is manufactured by Feeney, Inc. Nathan creates the proper-sized PVC mounting blocks by following the template of the vinyl mounting block to measure and trace where the French cleat will be cut. Then Nathan uses a miter saw to square the edges of the board and cut the boards to length for the mounting bracket....

Before getting to work, the two discuss a few methods of installing hardwood flooring, including gluing, nailing, and combining glue and nails. As the two begin installing boards, Tom shows Kevin when to nail through the board’s face and how to use a finishing nailer to install boards when a flooring nailer doesn’t fit. Tom continues to explain how to mark boards for cutting and how to tap them into place with a rubber mallet....

Wood entry doors everywhere suffer from the same assaults, and many end up in the trash, replaced by low-maintenance, mass-produced metal and fiberglass surrogates. But homeowners Belinda Chase and Scott Oja were determined to save this door—they knew the value of the antique, with its oval light of rippled, mouth-blown glass and its sturdy, all-wood construction. So they hired painting contractor John Dee to bring it back to life. Dee, who has worked on many This Old House television projects, attacked the splotchy surface with sandpaper and scrapers until the old pine door was as fresh and as fragrant as the day it was built....